One lesson that the past year has taught us is just how important the opportunity to gather is, how much it means to partake in actions of solidarity, how vital it is to be part of a community. Over the past year we have found new ways to “gather”, even when the usual ways were no longer available to us.
In response to the positive feedback that we have gotten over the past year to the opportunities we have provided for monthly virtual gatherings of our Pax Christi USA community, including hosting a monthly virtual Peace Mass for our community to gather and celebrate together no matter where you are.
Our monthly Peace Mass will happen every 4th Thursday of the month, same time, 8pm ET. Subsequent Peace Masses for the rest of 2022 are scheduled for:
- June 23 – Celebrated by Fr. Johnpaul Cafiero and dedicated to LGBTQ+ folks who have suffered violence and oppression
- May 26 – Celebrated by Fr. Everett Pearson, remembering George Floyd (technical difficulties interrupted the recording of this Mass)
- April 28 – Celebrated by Fr. Frank Breen, MM, and dedicated to Earth Month
- March 24 – Celebrated by Fr. Fred Thelen, Pax Christi USA National Council member, in memory of the life and witness of Saint Oscar Romero
- February 24 – Celebrated by Fr. Charlie Chilufya, sj, Coordinator of the Africa Task Force of the Vatican Covid-19 Commission, addressing global vaccine equity.
- January 27 – Celebrated by Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace Fr. John Dear and amplifying the pastoral letter on nuclear disarmament by Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, NM.
To register for the Peace Mass and receive the Zoom link to join, click here. Note that once you have registered, your link will be good for future Peace Masses.
All are welcome!
Masses in 2021 are still available by video below:
- March 25 – Celebrated by our Bishop-President, Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., our first Peace Mass was dedicated to the memory of Dianna Ortiz, OSU, Pax Christi USA Deputy Director and 2000 Teacher of Peace Award recipient. Dianna transitioned home on February 19, 2021.
- April 22 – We will be celebrating International Mother Earth Day. Let us fill our spirits with courage and joy to continue organizing to change the systems that are damaging creation, including us, human beings. Fr. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, will be our celebrant.
- May 27 – We will be celebrating Mary, mother of the liberator, model of courage, wellspring of peace, and women’s leadership in the discipleship community. Program Director Roxana Bendezú will be offering a special reflection and our presider will be Fr. Bob Cushing.
- June 24 – We will be celebrating the lives and witness of our LGBTQI+ community in our movement and the church. Celebrant is Fr. Chris Ponnet of Pax Christi Southern California who is the pastor at the St. Camillus Center for Pastoral Care which has actively been ministering with gay and lesbian Catholics since 1986.
- July 22 – Together we mourn the lives of Indigenous children who have been and will continue to be found in mass graves in residential ‘schools’ in various parts of North America. Our reflection during this Mass served as a grounding activity that will guide our actions to achieve a formal apology and reparations by the leadership of our Church. Fr. Joe Nangle, ofm accompanied us as celebrant.
- August 26 – This month we focused on the issue of nuclear disarmament, framed by the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the beginning of this month and the August 29th International Day Against Nuclear Tests. Fr. Raymond Tetrault of Pax Christi Rhode Island served as celebrant.
- September 23 – Celebrated in support of the Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action. This Peace Mass will incorporate the “Eucharist of Gospel Nonviolence”, a new rite initiated by the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests and celebrated tonight for the first time, with Fr. John Heagle presiding.
- October 28 – Celebrated to mark the end of the Caravan of Mothers of Disappeared Migrants. This Peace Mass will be celebrated in Spanish (with English language interpretation available) with Fr. Johnathan Castelblanco, SJ.
- November 23 – This mass was dedicated to the cause of Palestinian liberation and celebrated with Fr. Elias Mallon, SA.
- December 23 – Celebrate the imminent birth of Jesus with Pax Christi USA members from across the nation by wearing your festive attire, bringing out the decorations, and sharing your favorite ornament. We’re excited to have Fr. Rocco Puopolo of PC Massachusetts join us as celebrant.
The first Peace Mass took place on Thursday, March 25, celebrated by our Bishop-President, Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv. Our first Peace Mass was dedicated to the memory of Dianna Ortiz, OSU, Pax Christi USA Deputy Director and 2000 Teacher of Peace Award recipient. Dianna transitioned home on February 19, 2021. Click here to watch the Peace Mass from March 25, 2021.